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    30May, 2017
    9 Tips for Healthy Ramadan

    It is that time of year again where Muslims around the world fast from sunrise to sunset.  Ramadan is a month of self-discipline and reflection.  It is also that time of year where we indulge more in food from buffets to invitations and the wrong foods! Worse yet, in Ramadan food waste increases by 55%!

    While I know I can’t change the habits of eating around this holy month from the love of fried sambosak to the sweet qatayef and the endless buffets. I will say one thing –be mindful of what and how much you are eating and how it will affect you or the environment.

    The prophet (s.a.w )said ‘A human being fills no worse vessel than his stomach. It is sufficient for a human being to eat a few mouthfuls to keep his spine straight. But if he must (fill it), then one third of food, one third for drink and one third for air.’

    Avoid these common Ramadan habits and stay healthy with these tips!

    • Avoid fried foods – yes that means the daily habits of eating the good old sambosak and spring rolls needs to stop. You could have it occasionally and explore ways to prepare it in a healthier way i.e. baking
    • Avoid soft drinks, juice concentrates and fruit flavoured powdered drinks which usually contain high fructose corn syrup – a refined artificial sweetener which has been linked to diabetes and obesity. Instead enjoy freshly squeezed juices and water
    • Replace iodised salt with Himalayan salt, celtic salt or sea salt instead and avoid using it excessively.
    • Replace “vegetable”oils (sunflower, canola, vegetable ghee, and margarine) with butter, extra virgin coconut oil, animal ghee, cold pressed olive oil, avocado oil. “Vegetable” oils are pro-inflammatory and have been linked to a long list of diseases from diabetes to infertility.
    • Avoid any foods products with labels- low in fat, no fat, light, sugar free, fat free products– most of these foods have added artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, saccharin etc all which stimulate the storage of body fat and increase carbohydrate cravings! Remember it is not the fat that makes you fat, it is the sugar that makes you fat!
    • Replace white flour (found in bread, roti, pasta etc) with wholewheat, besan/gram (chickpea) flour, spelt, rye, buckwheat. Refined grains will get converted in the body as sugar and will cause surges in blood sugar and insulin levels leaving you fatigued! Whole – unrefined grains on the other hand are full of fibre slowing down the absorption of sugar in the bloodstream.
    • Avoid the commonly used chicken stock cubes. These small cubes are packed with salt, monosodium glutamate (MSG), sugar, hydrogenated vegetable oils and preservatives. Instead use organic bone broth (beef or chicken available at organic health food stores), home-made stock, spices and fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage, basil etc)
    • Avoid tea, coffee and soft drinks during suhoor time. These caffeinated beverages are diuretics (stimulates urination) which may cause dehydration.
    • Avoid canned foods – they contain a toxic chemical known as BPA (Bisphenol A) which leaches into our foods. Canned food also tend to lose most of the nutrients, frozen is a better option.

     

    The prophet (SAW) said: “The best Suhoor for the believer is dates.

    At suhoor avoid any processed and refined “foods” they will only cause an increase in your blood sugar levels leaving you fatigued throughout the day. Processed and refined foods include things like biscuits, chips, white flour, white sugar, vegetable oils, fruit juices, soft drinks and most packaged “foods”

    When making suhoor pre- preparations are essential to ensuring you will get good quality nutritious meal sorted without the rush!

    Breakfast (suhoor)

    • Birch murseli – the base of this wholesome breakfast is uncooked oats, yoghurt and honey. Add your favourite fruit, chia seeds, flaxseeds, shredded coconut and nuts.
    • Smoothie – yoghurt or milk of your choice (almond, oat or rice milk), fruits, chia seeds, honey, avocado
    • Nut butters (macadamia, almond, cashew, brazil nuts) with rice cakes or wholewheat bread
    • Unprocessed oats – cinnamon, almond milk, sunflower seeds, apples
    • Omelette – zucchini, mushrooms, leeks, capsicum, pumpkin, broccoli, cheese
    • Dates filled with cashews, walnuts, almonds, pistachios
    • Boiled eggs with olive oil
    • Indian vegetable gravy with wholwheat roti
    • Fruit bowel with yoghurt, honey and seeds

    The prophet (s.a.w) would break his fast with ripe dates before he would pray. If those were not available, he would eat dried dates. If those were not available, he would drink some water.”

    Entrees-

    • Hummos (chickpeas) with meat
    • Baba ghanoush
    • Mutabbal (eggplant dip)
    • Indian vegetable pakora (baked)30
    • Spring rolls (baked)
    • Cauliflower fritters
    • Vine leaves
    • Muhammara (red pepper walnut dip)
    • Imam bayildi (stuffed eggplant)

    Soups –

    • Harira Moroccan soup
    • Minestrone (wholewheat pasta)
    • lentil soup or dhal (base organic beef or chicken bone broth or homemade stock)
    • Pumpkin and corn soup with fresh cream
    • Malaysian vegetable laksa soup (rice noodles)
    • Barley vegetable soup
    • Persian lentil soup (Aush)
    • Turkish yoghurt soup

    Salads –

    • Quinoa tabbouleh
    • Fattouch (wholewheat bread)
    • Greek salad
    • Beetroot walnut rocket fetta salad
    • Warm paneer and lentil salad
    • Grilled eggplant and yoghurt salad
    • Roasted artichoke salad
    • Grilled haloumi salad

    As for dinner I will leave that to your creative minds keeping in mind the food items I advised against above. If I have to add one thing it will be to ensure that half your plate is filled with a rainbow of vegetables (raw, steamed, grilled or sautéed)

    And remember that this holy month is not only about refraining from food and water but for us to refrain from evil. It is a time to purify the soul, peace and closeness to God. I wish you all a blessed Ramadan.

     

    Nour Abulughod is based at BR Medical suites in Dubai Healthcare city. She obtained a Bachelor of health science from Melbourne, Australia and now specialises in women and children’s health with special interest in PCOS, weight loss, skin conditions and digestive complaints. Her treatment aims include herbal medicine, nutritional supplements, and diet and lifestyle modifications. https://www.facebook.com/NayalNaturalTherapy/?fref=ts

    12Nov, 2016
    What are GMOs and Why They are Harmful

    Reading and researching about processed food and its harmful effects, I am almost obsessed with reading the labels of anything that comes packaged in the name of food. It was one of those days when I happened to flip a pack of Lays Stax chips at my cousin’s place and I was shocked to see the label clearly mentioning that it has GMOs. To a person like me, it is just as equivalent to something “toxic”. But somehow, I was not able to convince her within a short span of time of why GMOs are harmful for our health. That made me think about writing this, so, let us begin our journey here, learning all that you need to know about GMOs and why you need to avoid them like plague.

    What are GMOs?
    “GMOs, or “genetically modified organisms,” are plants or animals that have been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses or other plants and animals. These experimental combinations of genes from different species cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding” Source“A GMO (genetically modified organism) is the result of a laboratory process of taking genes from one species and inserting them into another in an attempt to obtain a desired trait or characteristic, hence they are also known as transgenic organisms. This process may be called either Genetic Engineering (GE) or Genetic Modification (GM); they are one and the same.” SourceWhy are they Harmful?
    Genetically Modified plants have two main characteristics: a) herbicide tolerant b) the ability to produce their own pesticides. So, a genetically modified plant will not die even if an excessive amount of chemicals are sprayed on it. The fact that it has the ability to produce its own pesticide means that the plants are toxic by themselves. This easily explains why GMOs are harmful for our health. It is loaded with harmful chemicals and carcinogens (cancer causing substances). Plants like cotton, soy and canola have foreign genes taken from bacteria and viruses inserted into them which was never done before in history.GMOs were introduced by profit making corporations like Monsanto only a few decades ago. The safety of its use on living creatures including human beings has not been established so far and there are several reports of massive destruction caused to the ecosystem because of it. Farmer suicides across the world, especially in India is a standing proof for the kind of harm that GMOs can causeWhat are the Plants/Crops that are Genetically Modified?According to The Institute of Responsible Technology, the following eight plants are GM:1. Soy
    2. Cotton
    3. Canola
    4. Sugar Beets
    5. Corn
    6. Hawaiian Papaya
    7. Zucchini
    8. Yellow SquashAlso, artificial sweeteners that contain Aspartame (Sugar Free) are also made from Genetically Modified sources. Genetically modified growth hormones are injected into cows to produce more milk. Now, just think why products like soy milk, soya chunks, corn flakes, corn oil, canola oil, are all marketed as healthy food. In fact, most of us regularly buy a couple of these things thinking that they are healthy and nutritious. From infant formula to your breakfast cereal, most of the processed food contain ingredients that are derived from genetically modified sources. It is not a solution to feed the hunger, as it is propagated by the pro GMO people, but it is a source of profit for the corporations that make them.What are the Health Hazards?Our diet is mostly comprised of processed food these days and food manufacturing companies have successfully replaced our traditional food with products like corn flakes, margarine, soy milk and so on.  As discussed previously, the safety of consuming GM food has not been established and there are many health risks associated with consuming genetically modified food. From infertility to cancer, there are several diseases caused by consuming GMOs. Here is the brief snapshot of the health hazards from GMOs1. Infertility and Infant Mortality in Hamsters
    2. Food Allergies, especially among children
    3. Antibiotic Resistance
    4. More Dangerous for children than adults.To put it simply, genetically modified crops have genes that can resist a huge amount of pesticide, which means you are getting more of these nasty substances on your plate instead of any nutrition.GMOs from an Islamic PerspectiveGenetically Engineered food has been propagated as the solution to feed the millions of hungry people across the world, as it promises more yield by killing pests and weeds. However, remember that it is Allah swt who provides sustenance for every living being on this earth. There is enough food in this world to feed everyone, and the promises made by companies and lobbyists are only an eyewash.Are GMOs Halal?Genetically Modified food are not considered haram, and according to some scholars it may be haram if the DNA of a prohibited animal is inserted into a plant. The following excerpt from an answer to the question on whether it is halal gives us a better idea of what we must know about Genetically Modified food:Sh. Assim Alhakeem: ” The one who researches this issue cannot state that it is haraam to eat genetically modified crops and fruits unless it is proven for certain that they are harmful. This does not mean that we can be careless about this matter, because of what we have pointed out above of the possibility that they may pose a danger in many ways, and because people still prefer natural plants and crops, and people like them even if they are more expensive.
    The matter still needs more research and more time until the effects of these plants and the harm they may cause becomes clear.Until it is proven that they are harmful, the basic principle is that these plants are permissible and it is permissible to eat animals that have been fed on these plants, but it is also essential to be cautious about what these plants may cause in the future, and it is essential to follow up on research and information about these plants”.ConclusionHaving known the dangers of consuming GM food, it is best we stay informed and stay away from them. Remember that Allah is perfect in His creations and He knows what is best for us. Our food system has been messed up so much that the ones that are grown with loads of chemicals sprayed on them are cheaper than the ones that grow naturally.  We know for certain that our parents and grandparents were healthier than we are now and the reason behind this is simply our food habits. It is time to establish a habit of conscious eating and being more careful about reading the labels, because it is not only our health which is at risk, but also that of our children.